THE BEER NUT: This is the best bargain in the state

Wednesday

Feb 22, 2017 at 10:47 AM

Norman Miller Daily News Staff @Norman_MillerMW

Sometimes perception isn’t reality.

The most sought-after beers in Massachusetts have similar packaging and prices. The much-loved hazy and juicy IPAs that so many seek out come in 16-ounce cans, and will frequently push, or cross, the $20 limit for a four-pack or six-pack.

It’s to the point that if a beer is cheap, there must be something wrong with it.

There are several breweries that make beers that dispel that myth, but none more so than Fort Hill Brewing of Easthampton, who are brewing some of the best – and cheapest – beers you can find on liquor store shelves today.

I visited Fort Hill’s farm brewery last year and fell in love with it. It was one of my favorite stops of the whole year. At the time, they were specializing in German-style lagers – a personal favorite.

Recently, their beers have shown up on shelves at stores. Along with their Hera Pils (German-style pilsner), several IPAs are among their offerings.

Jigsaw Jazz, Fort Hill’s 9.3 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), double IPA is easily the biggest beer bargain you’ll ever find. A four-pack in 12-ounce cans costs $8.50. Think about that price. It’s impossible to find a beer of that quality for that price. It’s so good it almost feels like stealing.

If Jigsaw Jazz came in 16-ounce cans and a brewery-only release, it’s the kind of beer people would probably line up to pay $18 for. Fans of modern New England IPAs, do yourself a favor, buy this beer.

That’s not the only good IPA from Fort Hill. Fresh Pick IPA and their IPA brewed with grapefruit, G-Fresh, are excellent. The Fresh Pick was so good I bought it for a neighbor as a thank you for some snowblowing.

In other Massachusetts beer news, the Gardner Alehouse has started distributing its beers under the Moon Hill Brewing Company label.

This comes at welcome news. I’ve been a big fan of Gardner Alehouse’s beers from the beginning, but the service has been shoddy when I've visited the bustling brewpub in downtown Gardner. Now that I can get it on draft at various bars, I’m very happy.

Moon Hill has offered a wide variety of beers on draft so far, including Oma’s Altbier, Chair City Pale Ale, Month of Sundays English bitter, Pufnstuf double IPA and Chunk Norris imperial stout.

Weymouth's Barrel Houze Z brewery has announced the release of its latest beer, Adeline, described as a “rich, chocolaty, roasted stout.”

The 8.8 percent ABV stout will be available on draft and in 4-packs in select locations.

The beer is brewed by Chris Webster, who left his career as a microbiologist to become a brewer. The beer is named after his daughter.

The beer itself is aged in American whiskey barrels for 30 days before it is packaged. The barrels add a “hint of caramel and oak as well as just a whisper of whiskey,” the brewery says.

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. Email him at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at blogs.wickedlocal.com/beernut. Follow him on Twitter @RealBeerNut and on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.